JP3773352B2 - Method for producing green powder, food coloring containing the green powder, and food - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for producing green powder using leaves and stems of young buckwheat strains as raw materials.
Moreover, it is related with the green powder which becomes food coloring and can provide a bright green color when added to various foods. The invention further relates to a food product comprising an edible pigment and a green powder.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Techniques relating to green powder produced using stems and leaves of young buckwheat strains are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Examined Patent Publication Nos. 57-12587 and 59-6631.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 59-6631 discloses a method for producing a green powder in which a cut oat leaf or stem is washed and cut, dried to a moisture content of 7% or less within 24 hours after cutting, and then ground. Disclosure. The green powder produced by this technology is of a high quality, but it must be dried to a moisture content of 7% or less within 24 hours after cutting. From cutting by a farmer to transfer to a manufacturing plant and drying at the plant. There was a problem that careful time management was required. In addition, the publication describes that the particle size of the green powder is preferably about the same particle size as normal flour such as buckwheat flour, wheat flour, rice flour, etc., but with such particle size, uniform mixing with food, vividness Color development cannot be achieved sufficiently. Further, if the particles are coarser, the result is that the mouth feels uncomfortable when eating.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a green powder that retains quality such as color and nutritional components without requiring strict time management. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a green powder that can achieve uniform mixing, vivid color development and smooth texture when mixed with food.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of intensive research to achieve the above object, the present inventors have cut young buckwheat strains, dried and pulverized their leaves and / or stems, and set the drying conditions at a relatively low temperature for a long time. It has been found that the above object can be achieved by carrying out the above and / or specifying its particle size.
Accordingly, the present invention is a method for producing a green powder by cutting young buckwheat strains, drying and pulverizing the leaves and / or stems thereof, wherein the average particle size after pulverization is 35 to 45 microns. It relates to the method.
The present invention is also a method for producing a green powder by cutting young buckwheat strains, drying and pulverizing the leaves and / or stems, and drying at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours, and then at 35 to 45 ° C. The method is characterized in that it is carried out for 12 to 28 hours, then at 55 to 65 ° C. for 5 to 12 hours, and the total drying time is 20 hours or more.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes drying under the above-described drying conditions and an average particle size after pulverization of 35 to 45 microns.
The green powder obtained by the production method of the present invention is safe and useful as an edible pigment, and can be favorably colored by being included in various foods. Therefore, the present invention further relates to an edible pigment comprising a green powder obtained by the above production method, and a food containing the green powder.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the method of the present invention, the cutting of young buckwheat strains is performed according to a conventional method, and the leaves and stems after cutting are usually washed with water and drained.
The leaves and stems are dried at room temperature as a first step, specifically at 5 to 25 ° C. for 2 to 5 hours.
As the second stage of drying, drying is performed at 35 to 45 ° C. for 12 to 28 hours, preferably 12 to 15 hours, and as the third stage, drying is performed at 55 to 65 ° C. for 5 to 12 hours, preferably 5 to 10 hours. These drying may be performed according to a conventional method, for example, hot air drying in a drying cabinet.
The drying from the first stage to the third stage is performed for 20 hours or more in total.
After these drying, the moisture value is usually about 6 to 9%.
[0006]
The dried leaves and stems as described above are cooled to room temperature and then subjected to pulverization.
In the method for producing green powder of the present invention, it is appropriate to pulverize finer than buckwheat flour or medium strength wheat flour usually used for buckwheat production. Specifically, the average particle size after pulverization is 35 to 45 microns.
Prior to pulverization, it is preferable to cut the dried raw material to about 5 to 15 cm with a cutter. The pulverization is desirably performed by an impact pulverizer, and an impact pulverizer whose temperature is controlled may be used in some cases. In the roll type pulverizer, it is difficult to control the particle size, and the raw material tends to be biased to form flakes, and the pulverization efficiency is relatively poor.
In the method of the present invention, the green powder is usually obtained by pulverizing the raw material several times in an impact pulverizer and sieving. The temperature of the impact pulverizer is 65 ° C. or lower, preferably 55 ° C. or lower. If pulverization is performed in a high-temperature environment, quality degradation may occur and should be avoided. The sieving is performed using a normal sieving machine such as a square shifter or a vibro shifter.
The powder thus sieved out is collected into a green powder.
[0007]
In the method of the present invention, the green powder has an average particle size of 35 to 45 microns. More specifically, particles having a particle size larger than 74.00 microns are 28 or less (hereinafter referred to as 28% or less) out of 100 particles, and particles larger than 88.00 microns are 20% or less. Desirably, particles larger than 148.00 microns have a particle size of 4% or less, and particles larger than 176.00 microns have a particle size of 2% or less. Measurement of the average particle size and particle size distribution described in the present specification was carried out by a laser particle size analyzer “Microtrac” (manufactured by LEEDS & NORTHRUP).
[0008]
As described above, the green powder obtained by the method of the present invention is made of fiber such as plant leaves and stems, and can be used as a safe and nutritious food pigment.
The food containing this green powder is not particularly limited, but preferably includes noodles such as buckwheat noodles, pasta such as spaghetti and macaroni, buns, breads, cakes, yogurt, rice cake, and candy. The amount of green powder added to the food is suitably 0.1 to 1% by weight based on the weight of the whole food. The addition of the green powder to the food may be appropriately performed during the production process of various foods.
[0009]
【The invention's effect】
According to the production method of the present invention, it is possible to produce a green powder having quality such as color and nutritional value without strict time management. In addition, when the green powder obtained by the production method of the present invention is contained in a food, it can be uniformly mixed with the food material, and can produce a vivid color and a smooth texture in the food.
[0010]
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.
[Example 1]
Manufacture of green powder (1) In the afternoon, a farmer cut leaves and stems of young buckwheat soba and delivered the raw materials to the factory at 9:00 am the next morning.
(2) After the raw material was washed with water, it was dried at room temperature of 20 ° C. for 3 hours (including draining operation).
(3) It was dried in a drying cabinet at 40 ° C. for 24 hours.
(4) Next, it was dried for 9 hours in a 65 ° C. drying cabinet (water content 8%).
(5) The dried raw material thus obtained was cut to about 10 cm with a cutter, and then pulverized with an impact pulverizer “free pulverizer (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.)”.
(6) A vibratory shifter was applied, and the sieve over was again applied to a pulverizer.
(7) The steps (5) and (6) were repeated to make the sieved product as a product (final moisture value 7%).
(8) The average particle size of this product was 40 microns as measured by a laser particle size analyzer “Microtrack” (manufactured by LEEDS & NORTHRUP).
[0011]
[Example 2]
Buckwheat was produced using the green powder produced in Example 1.
Raw materials having the following composition were kneaded, rolled, and cut with a 20th cutting blade to obtain buckwheat noodles.
Buckwheat flour 500g
500g medium strength flour
1g of green powder
300 g of water
When the soba noodles were boiled for 3 minutes and evaluated, the color was good, the color was vivid, and the texture was smooth.
[0012]
[Example 3]
Steamed bread was produced using the green powder produced in Example 1 with the following composition. Soft flour 100 parts by weight sugar 50 parts by weight starch syrup 10 parts by weight whole egg 15 parts by weight baking powder 4 parts by weight salt 0.5 parts by weight green powder 2.0 parts by weight water 34 parts by weight
Process:
The powder raw material was mixed uniformly in advance. Egg water was added and kneaded to obtain a dough. The mold was squeezed with 15 g of dough, the squeeze was squeezed into the center, and further 15 g of dough was squeezed onto it. Steamed for 10 minutes in a steamer to obtain steamed bread.
The resulting steamed bread had a light green inner phase and an elegant color and texture.
[0014]
[Example 4]
A little green powder produced in Example 1 was added to commercially available yogurt.
Since the buckwheat leaves and stems contain rutin, it became a healthy yogurt with a high nutritional content to which rutin was added.
[0015]
[Example 5]
A sponge cake was produced using the green powder produced in Example 1 with the following composition.
Soft flour 100 parts by weight Sugar 100 parts by weight Whole egg 100 parts by weight Green powder 1.0 parts by weight Water 35 parts by weight [0016]
Process:
A. The flour and green powder were previously mixed uniformly. B. Water, sugar and whole egg were whisked in a mixer, then A was added to make a uniform batter. C. A batter was poured into a cake mold and baked in an oven for about 25 minutes.
The resulting sponge cake had a light green inner phase and an elegant color and texture.

Claims (7)

  A method for cutting a young buckwheat strain and drying and crushing its leaves and / or stems to produce a green powder, the drying being performed at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours, and then at 35 to 45 ° C. for 12 to 28 hours, Next, the method is performed at 55 to 65 ° C. for 5 to 12 hours, and the drying time is 20 hours or more in total.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the moisture value after drying is 6 to 9%.   The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the average particle size after pulverization is 35 to 45 microns.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pulverization is performed by an impact pulverizer.   The green powder manufactured by the method of any one of Claims 1-4.   An edible pigment comprising the green powder according to claim 5.   A food comprising the green powder according to claim 5.